For years, students at Fieldston have relied on PowerSchool to access their schedules and home reports.
But when students opened their midterm grades in November 2024, they were greeted with a shocking new addition: bright orange rectangles displaying their tardies and absences.
The new system is broken down into two sections. The first table is daily attendance and displays the number of general absences and school trips a student has taken during each month. The second is a class-by-class breakdown of latenesses and absences. Additional factors that may contribute to tardiness, such as being on a sports team, taking a test or a delayed bus are also indicated.
Upper School Dr. Bobo explains the reasoning behind this new update, “I decided to make attendance history visible to students and families to make the data transparent (so students can see what the record says) and to make students accountable (for their behavior and their choices). Student performance in a class can be affected by how frequently they attend. Now students can see a record of their attendance and absence and draw connections between their presence and their performance in a class.”
She does want to mention, “The tracking of attendance has not changed. We have always kept this record. The only change is that students and their families can now see the record.”
This new implementation has drawn mixed reactions from the student body. In an anonymous survey of upperclassmen, the majority of responses were negative. One Form V student admitted that she “felt ashamed.” A Form VI student added, “It serves as an unfortunate reminder to many seniors like myself that the senioritis is already kicking in.” Another Form V student questioned the purpose of the feature, saying, “I don’t understand the point. I don’t know why this was added and what it’s supposed to be for.” Similarly, a Form VI student expressed frustration, stating, “I don’t understand why excused absences from stuff like sports are tracked with regular tardiness.” Finally, a Form V student voiced, “It feels like it’s just there to humiliate us.”
Some shared more neutral opinions. A Form V student said, “I don’t really look at it but it’s interesting to see.” Another remarked, “I don’t find myself being late to class often, so it’s not really an issue for me.” A Form VI student critiqued the system’s relevance for students with out-of-school obligations, saying, “It’s useless for those with extracurricular activities.”
There was only one positive reaction from the survey. A Form V student commented, “I like that we can see our absences and missed classes, it’s a helpful way to keep track of everything.”
As two people who have struggled with lateness – whether it be showing up to class or submitting major assignments well past deadlines (special mention: our 9th Grade Modern World History papers), we definitely aren’t ecstatic about this feature, but we understand why it is necessary. Despite this update being as embarrassing as it seems and its largely critical reception from Fieldston students, it provides everyone with some useful advice: keep better track of time and don’t miss class.
